1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dispensing assembly including a trigger actuated dispenser pump attached to a non-cylindrical container with the longitudinal axis of the pump oriented in the same direction as the major transverse axis of the container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Trigger actuated, hand-held, pumps have found increasing use in recent years for dispensing numerous products in the form of a fine spray or a stream from hand-held dispensing containers. A large number of various types of commercial trigger pumps are used in dispensing products from packages of household items, such as, glass cleaners, insecticides, spot removers, rug cleaners, bathroom cleaners, and many other household commodities. Additionally these trigger pumps are widely used products which are intended for use in connection with the automotive market i.e., vinyl roof cleaners, vinyl roof protective coating, rubber conditioners, upholster cleaners, tire cleaners, degreasers, etc.
Generally the commercial trigger pumps offered in the present day commercial market are equipped with conventional continuous thread caps which attach the pump to the conventional continuous threaded neck of the container in which the particular product is packaged. In cases where the product is packaged in the cylindrical, "Boston Round" type bottle the loose fit, free turning closure used on conventional pumps has been adequate since no orientation of the pump body is needed in connection with the container since it has a uniformed diameter. Cylindrical containers are generally satisfactory for use with trigger type pumps as long as the container is of a modest size which can be easily gripped by the hand of an adult. However, many products are offered to the consumer market in containers which are generally described as "oval or non-cylindrical" wherein the container has a major and a minor radius i.e., flat fronts and narrow sides which permit larger volume containers to be utilized. In utilizing oval or non-cylindrical containers in connection with trigger actuated pumps which have a body portion having an extended transverse axis there has been a problem of orienting the transverse axis of the trigger pump with the major diametrical axis of the oval or non-cylindrical container so that when the consumer grasps the container the transverse axis of the pump will be directed in the same direction as the major transverse axis of the container. Heretofore there has not been any readily satisfactory commercial mode for assuring that the transverse axis of the pump will coincide with the major transverse axis of the container. Generally, after the produce container is filled, the pump is placed on the container and a mechanical device is used to torque the closure cap on to the container. Even though guide members may be used to maintain the container in its position with the major transverse axis parallel to the conveyor belt it had been difficult to assure that upon final torquing of the trigger pump onto the container that the transverse axis of the trigger pump will coincide with the major transverse axis of the container to produce the desired orientation of the pump with the container.
Another desirable feature to incorporate into a trigger pump dispenser package is the provision of child-resistant closure devices for prevention of the removal of the pump from the container by juveniles. While there are numerous child resistant closures available commercially, one such closure which is receiving increasing commercial acceptance is a safety closure described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,817. This closure utilizes a plurality of barbed short lug threads on the cap to engage recesses on longer interrupted threads provided on the container neck. However, to date such child resistant closures have only been utilized in solid top caps for general utility in the packaging market wherein no other devices are required to be attached to the closure member.
One of the more successful trigger pumps presently utilized in commercial product dispensers is the trigger pumps shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,288 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,650. This trigger pump has an elongated, horizontally directed housing which is coupled to the container by a conventional continuous thread closure member which rotates freely on the bottom end of the trigger pump. When this pump is attached to an oval container orientation is very difficult to accomplish because it requires maintaining the transverse axis of the pump in line with the major transverse axis of the bottle. This is difficult to achieve because proper torquing of the closure onto the top of the container will prevent proper alignment.
Pumps of the types shown in the foregoing patents and many other commercial pumps do not provide any child-resistant features to prevent children from unscrewing the pump from the container imbibing the contents of the container which may be toxic or deleterious to the child's health.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,067 discloses a dispensing pump for containers which utilizes a trigger pump having a transversely extending, longitudinal axis pump that is attached to the container neck by a plurality of latching dogs spaced about the length of the container which engage a like number of matching lugs provided on the interior of the skirt of the closure member. However, the closure member requires an interior auxiliary wedging skirt to fit a specially designed sloping inner wall of the container neck to be compatible and fit closely therewith. Additionally the disclosure of this patent does not provide any solution to the problem of orienting the longitudinal major axis of the dispensing pump with the major transverse axis of an oval container.
In view of the present state of the art in trigger pump dispensing devices it can be seen that there is a need to provide a trigger pump-container combination wherein the major transverse axis of the trigger pump can be specifically and readily oriented to coincide with the major transverse axis of the container to provide for the automatic orientation of the pump during the assembly of the pump to the container on the product filling line. Additionally there is a need to provide a trigger pump-container combination wherein the trigger pump is attached to the container with a closure means having a child resistant feature which will prevent the removal of the pump from the container by a child and possible ingestion of any harmful material in the product container.